Ladakh Bizarre Facts

Sham Valley Trek with Rafting (Short Trek)

PACKAGE CODE : L004DURATION : 06 NIGHTS / 07 DAYS (03 DAYS OF TREKKING AND 01 DAY OF RAFTING) BEST TIME : MAY TO OCTOBER ACCOMMODATION : 04 NIGHTS IN HOTEL, 02 NIGHTS IN TENTSMINIMUM PEOPLE REQUIRED : TWOLEVEL OF ENDURANCE : MODERATE

Itinerary:

Day 01: Arrive Leh
On your arrival at Leh, a representative from Nomadier will meet, greet, assist and transfer you to your hotel in Leh. Remainder of the day would be for you to rest and acclimatize to the high altitude of Ladakh. Overnight stay would be at a hotel in Leh.

Day 02: Sightseeing around Leh

Morning at leisure or explore the nearby places on foot. Post lunch a visit to Shanti Stupa, Leh Palace, Jokhang and Local Bazaar would be scheduled. Overnight stay would be at a hotel in Leh.

Shanti Stupa (Japanese Peace Pagoda)

Shanti Stupa/Japanese Peace Pagoda was built by a Japanese religious organization headed by Head monk Nakamura with, help from organization and local people. It is situated at a hill top in Cahngspa village providing a bird's eye view of the Leh town and the surrounding mountain peaks. Architecturally it has the Japanese touch with small clean rooms on the side for meditators and the main Japanese shrine at the entrance.

Leh Palace
The Namgyal Tsemo (Victory Peak) was built by King Tashi Namgyal after the reunification of upper and lower Ladakh and victory over Hor whose bodies are placed under an image of Mahakala, the guardian deity to stop further invasion of Hor. The Leh Palace known as 'Lechen Palkhar' was built by Singay Namgyal at the beginning of 17th Century A.D. The nine-storied palace is now deserted, and the ASI (Archeological Survey of India) has taken up the renovation work.

Jokhang
The Ladakh Buddhist Association, in 1957, built the small Gonpa known as Jokhang in the main bazaar, which is open throughout the day for visitors. The Gonpa contains statue of Joyo Rinpoche (crowned Buddha).

Day 03: Leh - Likir to Yangthang (3,700 mts.)
Early morning after breakfast at the camp, you would start the trek towards the south through the trail behind the monastery, amidst wheat fields. After a walk for 20 minutes, you come down to the rough motorable road to Hemis Shukpachan. Ignore the road and walk through the trail down the road along with Stupas west ward.

The easy ascent starts, from here which leads you to the top of the small pass Chagatse La (3,700 mts.). Again, leave the road on your right and walk through the trail down and up to the road. From here you can have the view of a hamlet called Saspotse. Walk towards the village leaving the road on your right hand side. You would reach the village after crossing a river. Take the trail behind the village through a small gorge which takes you to Phobe La pass (3,849 mts.). You can have the view of Yangthang village from here.

After a walk for 10 minutes through the road you will arrive at the camping site. There are two camping sites; one near the school which has a good view of the village and the peak and has toilet facilities. The next one is near the river amidst poplar plantation without a toilet.

Day 04: Yangthang to Hemis Shukpachan (3596 mts.) - 02 hrs

Today is a shorter walk if you want to camp at Hemis Shukpachan village. You can also walk upto Temisgam or village of Ang before Temisgam which takes around 6-7 hrs. As soon as you cross the river, the climb of the Phobe La (4,000 mts.) would start. It would take around one hour to reach the top of the pass. After another hour or hour and a half and you would reach Hemis Shukpachan where you would camp for the night.

Day 05: Hemis Shukpachan to Temisgam - Lamayuri - Leh

After an easy walk for an hour you will start climbing Meptak La. After the pass you would reach Ang Village near the river. After crossing the river you can walk down to Temisgam village. From here you will drive to Lamayuru moonland and then back to Leh via the Ladakh Hall of Fame, Spituk Monastery, Confluence of Indus and Zanskar Rivers, Gurudwara Shri Patthar Sahib and Magnetic Hill.

Lamayuru – The Moon Land
At Lamayuru, the formation of land is exactly like on the moon with craters & hills and hence the name moonland. The snow rising in the backdrop of this sandy script reminds you that you are in Ladakh and the landscape around Lamayuru monastery is one of most spectacular sights one can see on earth.

Ladakh Hall of Fame
The Hall of Fame is a glorious museum constructed by the Indian Army. It is worth a visit for everyone to see defense memorabilia, biographies of eminent soldiers and images of the Kargil War along with a display of the weapons and gallantry awards.

Gurudwara Shri Patthar Sahib
The Gurdwara Shri Patthar Sahib is around 25 km away from Leh town on the Leh-Srinagar road. It is built in memory of Shri Guru Nanak Deve Ji, the great prophet who visited here in 1517 while on his second missionary tour (2nd Udassi 1515-1518). In folklore, there lived a wicked demon that terrorized the people in the area. As their miseries became unbearable they prayed for divine intervention and the great prophet came to their rescue. The prophet settled on the bank of the river flowing nearby and was called Nanak Lama by the locals. One morning, when the prophet was in meditation, the demon rolled down a big boulder from the hilltop on him but remarkably at the very touch of his body, the solid rock melted like wax with his back embedded in it. The prophet kept on sitting in meditation undisturbed. Thinking that the prophet must have been killed, the demon came down but was taken aback on seeing the prophet in meditation, undisturbed. In a rage of anger, he tried to push the rock with his right foot but the rock had already become like wax and even his foot was now embedded in it. The demon realized his folly and powerlessness as compared to the spiritual power of the great prophet. He fell on his feet and prayed to be pardoned. The prophet advised him to get rid of his wickedness and lead the life of a noble person, in the service of humanity. This changed the demon and he started serving the people. The prophet then continued his Holy journey towards Srinagar and Kashmir via Kargil. The boulder having the imprint of the prophet’s back is seen in the Gurdwara to this day.

Magnetic Hill
Defying the laws of gravity is Magnetic Hill, a gravity hill that has been known to pull vehicles towards itself if they are left in neutral! Even aircrafts sometimes increase their altitude when in vicinity to avoid magnetic interference.

Spituk Gompa
The Spituk Gompa, 8 km from Leh, stands prominently on the top of a hillock and offers a panoramic view of the Indus Valley for miles together. Many icons of Buddha and fine Thankas are to be found in this 15th century Gompa. The Gompa also houses a collection of ancient masks, antique arms, and an awe-inspiring image of Mahakaal. The face of the Kali image is kept covered and is revealed only at the annual function in January every year.

Confluence of the Zanskar & Indus
On you way to Sham Valley before Nimmu Village, you’ll have a magnificent view of these two great rivers in wedlock. What will amaze you most here is the stark contrast in the colors of the two rivers.

Day 06: Rafting on Indus (15 Km. stretch)

After breakfast leave for the experience of a lifetime. Our jeeps will drop you at Phey – the Raft “Put in” point and will pick you up from Nimmu where you end your rafting. Drive back to hotel in Leh to relax. Dinner and overnight at the hotel.

Phey to Nimmu
This route consists mostly of Grade II or III easy rapids and passes through astoundingly beautiful mountains, many of them with tiny hamlets and imposing old monasteries nestled among the valleys. Starts from Phey Village, about 12 km from Leh and ends at Indus-Zanskar confluence at Nimmu, about 36 km from Leh. This stretch can be undertaken by novices as well.

Day 07: Airport DepartureNomadier provides assistance in your transfer to the Airport and wishes you goodbye.